Sword and Magic
by Reggie Brooks
Summary: A terrible curse has fallen upon the inhabitants of fairyland. Will the Saviour be able to break it this time?


_Hello. At request of readers, we've done an English version of my fanfic "Sword and Magic" from the Russian language. I want to thank my friend Julia Syomina, who helped me a lot._

_Translation: Julia Syomina._

_Thoughts in italics._

**Chapter 1**

"Today is my birthday." Emma smiled sadly to a tall dark-haired guy, who she had a date with.

But this day like her other dates were no different from any of her other dates.

Better to say different, of course, but ended in the same way: a guy was sent to the police office. Her every birthday she had been spending alone for the last 5 years. Emma worked as a bail granter, a headhunter. Her job was to catch bad guys.

Life was not particularly kind to her. Her parents abandoned her at the side of the road, where she was found and sent to an orphanage. Then she was adopted by a few families where she was growing up like an ugly duckling way out unlike other children. She was born with a special sense of justice and an incredible ability to detect lies. It annoyed not only the children of her age, but her foster parents as well. Because of her shrewdness and straight out character she didn't stay in such families for a long time, being of a more trouble maker, than her foster parents had expected. She had never seen her real parents and wasn't even aware of where they lived. The only thing she got from them was a baby blanket with an embroidery of the name "Emma", she was wrapped in when she was found. In the orphan asylum she was registered like that. Her surname "Swan" the girl got from the last adoptive parents. Like the rest of orphans, she had been waiting for her parents to come back and pick her up. The time was passing but no one was looking for her.

And then she had a misfortune to fall in love. And what happened? She was jailed for handling stolen goods, on top of that, she was 2 months pregnant. It was the first time in her life when she sacrificed her principles for the sake of love, she was punished for this so sorely. Neal left her and headed for Canada.

Her baby was born in Phoenix, in prison of Arizona. The eighteen-year-old girl, reluctantly gave his to the orphan asylum, believing that it will give the boy a chance for a better life. Absorbed with her sad thoughts Emma put a little cake on the table and lit a candle on it.

"I don't wanna be alone," the girl thought back for a second. "I wanna be happy." She repeated her wish silently once again and, with her eyes snapped shut, she blew out the candle.

At that very moment she heard somebody knocking at the door. She had no friends, so did not expect anybody to come. Someone might have chosen the wrong door, she thought. Having opened the door she got amazed. There was Shrek beaming in the doorway, dressed in a black leather jacket, with a huge bag and a small bunch of wildflowers, smiling broadly.

"Happy birthday, my friend!" solemnly intoned the ogre, taking off the mask and embracing her tightly.

Soft bristles nicely tickled her cheek. Girl caught barely noticeable aroma of male perfume. Leaning back a bit, Emma looked into his gentle eyes, where any girl can drown.

"August!" she was glad to see him. "You came. But how did you find me? Where have you been the last seven years?" Emma couldn't help asking him questions.

"Hey, slow down, it was not so simple to find you. You haven't stayed in any place for more than two years. Kept moving flats all the time." complained August, coming into the flat. "I've been traveling. Oh, I'm right for the celebration?" he asked, having glaced at a single muffin with a candle on it.

"I was not expecting guests today." a little embarrassed, Emma said lamely. "August what happened to your leg?" the girl asked watching him walking lamely.

She has brought a fruit bowl in the living room. Emma didn't cook a celebratory dinner, so she could treat him only with this.

"I will tell you everything, but let me bring us some wine first." he smiled and got a clay bottle out of the bag. "I brought it from France, especially for you."

August opened the bottle and went to the kitchen. Having filled the glasses, he got a bottle of clear pink liquid out of his pocket and poured it into one of them, afterwards he returned to the living room.

"To you, the birthday girl!" he said solemnly. "To you Emma. You're my best friend." He held out another glass and smiled at the girl. "Bottoms up!"

August and Emma had known since they were children. It was him who found her in the forest and brought to the road next to the cafe, where they were found and taken to the orphan asylum. Although they were adapted from time to time by different people, they somehow were in touch all the time.

August was 7 years senior to Emma. As soon as he started doing odd jobs, he raised some money and left the place for a couple of years. And soon she got jailed in Phoenix, Arizona, though it was her boyfriend's fault. That was the place where August found her. He advise Neal Cassidy to stay away from Emma and tackled Emma's life, and he thoroughly engaged the education of the girl, helped her find a job and an inexpensive flat.

Three years later things got better and August left again. He had to be prepared properly. Time flew fast, and THIS day was coming with a fatal inevitability. He remembered how it had happened last time. "In a fair fight wins a cheater" - this lesson he learned well. But this time everything will be different. The stakes are too high.

"August. August!" Emma pulled him out of his thoughts. "Hey, where are you?"

"I was deep in my thoughts. Do you have any plans for tonight?"

Emma shook her head.

"Great, because I want to make a real birthday for you with surprises and gifts. Moreover I've got everything planned." a mysterious smile appeared on his face.

Emma smiled thankfully in return, just realising how much she had been missing her old friend.

"So, what happened to your leg?" she changed the topic.

The man silently turned around on his chair and rolled up his trousers, gazing in her eyes.

"Now tell me, what do you see?"

"A normal leg. Nothing special." she replied. "So why are you limping?"

_"Oh, no. It didn't worked..."_ August thought with annoyance. "That's what I mean. It's been a while since I hurt my leg, and then it is getting worse and worse. Although looks good. The doctors are puzzled. I've traveled half the world." The man complained pitifully, recalling that it was tabooed to go to some place for him... _"Easy, man, just don't scare her." _He knew about her ability to detect lies, though trying to smooth things over. "I brought you a present, sis." August finally opened the bag and took out the gift for Emma, wrapped colourfully.

Mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes. Like a little child, she began tearing up the wrapping paper. _"Today is a magic evening in deed."_ she thought.

When the last bits of wrapper were torn off, Emma saw appeared a big beautiful leather-bound book. On its cover in gold letters was written the name "Once upon a time". The girl opened the book. On the glossy pages were the illustrations of incredible stories, written there. Emma thoughts came back to the past. When she was a little girl, she loved, when August, who was considered like an elder brother, told her fairy tales. That was the only joy, solacing her childhood.

"Thank you." Emma said quietly with her eyes being filled with tears.

"Hey, don't cry, princess." August embraced her and fuzzled her golden hair. "Come on, I 'll show you something."

He took the book and started turning the leaves.

"Do you remember when the Charming Prince found the Snow White after she had eaten the poisoned apple?" he asked searching for something.

"Yes, he found her with the help of the enchanted ring, which showed him the way to his True love, which Rumpelstiltskin gave him." Emma said. She knew this story. After all, it was her favorite fairy tale in the childhood.

"Emma." August seated the girl, got something out of his pocket, reaching out his hand. On his palm there was a beautiful ring made of white gold with greenish-yellow stone. "When I found you, this ring was on your neck. I think it belonged to your parents. I took it so that you wouldn't lose it, or someone wouldn't steal it." August said. "Now I'm giving it back to you." Saying this, he gave her the ring.

"But ... I don't understand, August." Emma got confused. "Why did they give me a ring if they were going to leave me?" she couldn't say a word and her eyes filled up with tears again.

The man poured a glass of water. "Drink this."

He waited until Emma calmed down and continued.

"Now look here." he pointed into the book with his finger. The blondie looked at the picture: the Prince Charming was racing in the Enchanted Forest on his horse, and the ring was shimmering on his finger.

"So what? Shoot." she still didn't understand what he was talking about.

"Look closely at the ring." August asked patiently.

Emma took the book and put it on her lap. She looked at the picture, then slowly shifted the gaze at the ring, she held in the hand. Putting the ring next to its picture-twin, she breathed out. "An incredible likeness!" And looked up at August who was very content.

"And what do you think about this, sis?"

"Well," Emma scratched her head, "just coincidence or the picture was taken as a sample to produce the original, the similarity is obvious."

_"Your hard head is obvious." _August thought.

"Or," she continued, opening the first page of the book, "you wrote it yourself." Emma pointed to the name of the author "August Wayne Booth."

The man mentally tapped himself on the forehead for his mistake_. "What should I do so that she hears me? When will this damned poison have an effect? I paid a fortune for it! We don't have a lot of time to wait untill she understands everything this time! And there will be nothing to change.. So watch out, otherwise she will think I went mad. You don't want to simplify the task for me. Oh, Emma, it will be tough. Fasten your seat belts ..."_

August inhaled deeply, having no idea what to say. Of course, he had planned this evening, but everything didn't go so smoothly as he had hoped.

"I just wanted to link it with your favourite fairy tale so that you could let yourself leave your joyless life and get into it."

"I wish if it was possible." the girl smiled sadly.

"OK, stop being blue." August took the ring and put it on her finger.

Emma raised her right hand: it was her size and looked nice. The thread to her parents. This topic has still been painful. The girl stroked stone with a finger and closed her eyes, as if feeling for the invisible bond that, like Ariadne's thread, could lead her to parents.

Emma raised her right hand: it was her size and looked nice. The reminiscence of her parents, it is still painful for her. The girl stroked the stone with a finger and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to find the invisible bond, like Ariadne's thread, that could lead her to parents.

"Put on something more comfortable." said the man, looking at her red party dress. "I have this evening planned for you."

"August, you're so sweet." Emma hugged him and went to change the clothes.

_"Well, at least had time to eat,"_ he thought, putting the book back into the bag.

A few minutes later she went from the bedroom dressed in tight blue jeans and a beige jumper.

"I'm ready." she said, putting on the boots and a red leather jacket.


End file.
